Metal working lines of this type—for example production lines for rolling the metal, cooling sections for cooling the metal or a combination of the two—are generally known. In these working lines, phase states of the metal which are determined as precisely as possible are frequently required in the end product or else for specific working steps; this means that specific phase proportions of different phases of the metal, in particular of the steel, are predetermined as target values. Adhering to these target values is an essential criterion for the quality of the metal.
In order to adhere to the desired phase state of the metal as precisely as possible in an automatically controlled system, WO 2005/099923 A1 has proposed, for example, the use of a phase conversion model, the determination of at least one phase proportion at points of the metal monitored for displacement taking into account displacement monitoring, the operating parameters of the metal working line, the primary data, which describe the metal running into the metal working line and the state of said metal, and measured values, and corresponding control of a cooling section on the basis of the result.
However, automatic control cannot actually provide the desired target parameters (for example phase proportions, temperature, thickness and the like) of the worked metal in every process, and so systems having at least partially manual control are known. In these systems, an operator can manually control diverse components, for example actuators for cooling, roller tables or rollers, in order to set the parameters to the desired target parameters. At the end of the working line, for example, the temperature is then measured and displayed to the operator, for example at the end of a cooling section. Different settings of operating parameters may lead to the same temperature but to different phase states of the metal, and this may lead to the production of scrap of which the operator is unaware. This is also accompanied by a poorer quality of the worked metal. Working may also fail on account of the incorrect phase state and so-called cobbles may occur in the system, that is to say the metal becomes jammed or caught up in the system, and this may lead at least to a stoppage of the system. A cobble of this type also puts the safety of any persons present at risk.